Judd Apatow

Take just about any comedy released over the last five years that was worth a damn, and we promise you the name Judd Apatow will be lurking somewhere close by. After a string of early failures, the prolific writer-director-producer has become Hollywood's latest King Midas, unleashing his unique brand of vulgar, soulful and ultimately uplifting comedy to an audience ready to devour it. His three directorial efforts -- The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Funny People -- are among the most profitable and memorable comedies of their generation, while his producing credits read like a litany of modern classics: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Pineapple Express to name a few. And let's not forget Apatow's unmatched eye for talent. Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Jonah Hill: You boys owe this man your life.

Appeal

By all accounts Judd Apatow is a doofus. He likes to wear shorts with tube socks. He self-medicates with food, suffers from excruciating back spasms when things aren't going well and is in therapy more often than a raging manic depressive. In fact, Apatow actually based many of Seth Rogen's goofball tendencies in Knocked Up on his own behavior. But Apatow also has loads of heart, a biting sense of humor and a bank account as big as Jonah Hill's midsection. He was obviously attractive enough for the stunning Leslie Mann, whom he charmed on the set of Cable Guy and later married.

Success

For someone who has two canceled (but highly revered) sitcoms under his belt, Judd Apatow sure has come a long way. The prodigious funnyman who once palled around with the likes of Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler and cut his comedy teeth writing for The Larry Sanders Show and rewriting the script for The Cable Guy, now proudly wears the crown as Hollywood's new King of Comedy. His two sunken series -- Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared respectively -- have amassed diehard cult followings, while his three directorial efforts -- The 40-Year-Old-Virgin, Knocked Up and Funny People -- are some of the most highly acclaimed and profitable comedies of the last five years, grossing a combined $1 billion worldwide. Apatow is also responsible for discovering the likes of Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Jonah Hill, and Jay Baruchel, and his producing credits include such hits as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Pineapple Express to name a few. It's no wonder that in 2007, he was ranked No. 1 on Entertainment Weekly's "50 Smartest People in Hollywood" list.

Judd Apatow Biography

Judd Apatow grew up infatuated with comedy. Though Apatow grew up in New York with a lot of friends, he was a self-described nerd, obsessed with comedy and its idols. He would audiotape episodes of Saturday Night Live and transcribe them, trying to find out what made them funny. Apatow was in eighth grade when his parents divorced, breaking his family apart. It was then that he began making his inroads to a career in comedy. At Syosset High School, where Apatow was a student, he began hosting a weekly radio comedy show where, thanks to his mom's job at a comedy club, he was able to interview celebrated comedians like Gary Shandling, Steven Wright and an up-and-comer named Jerry Seinfeld. Apatow eventually began doing his own stand-up and after graduating high school, moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in screenwriting at USC, a program he would drop out of only two years later. He moved into an apartment with a young comedian he met in the Improv named Adam Sandler, and began writing material for whoever would let him. He was immersing himself in comedy.

judd apatow enters show business

There was no doubt that Judd Apatow knew how to bring the funny, but he lacked a distinct comedic persona similar to that of his good friends Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey. So when he met a bright young comic named Ben Stiller at an Elvis Costello show, the two teamed up on a sketch comedy show for FOX called The Ben Stiller Show, with Apatow serving as producer. Though critically acclaimed, the show was canceled after only one season, a pattern that would soon become familiar to the young comedian.

judd apatow and his failed sitcoms

After the failure of The Ben Stiller Show and a brief stint as a staff writer for the short-lived animated comedy The Critic, Judd Apatow was hired by his long-time comedy idol Gary Shandling as a writer and producer on The Gary Shandling Show. For five years, Apatow and Shandling made great television, and his profile in show business continued to grow. He was brought in to rewrite the Jim Carrey vehicle The Cable Guy and ended up losing a devastating battle over a credit. All of this, however, was preparing Apatow for the ups and downs of life as a Hollywood kingpin.

Over the next three years, Apatow would produce two series: the much-beloved Freaks and Geeks about the trials and tribulations of dweebs and burnouts, and Undeclared, a show that explored life on campus. Both shows achieved massive cult followings, were praised by critics, but had lackluster ratings, a result that eventually led to their cancellations. Though the shows introduced us to future stars Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jason Segel, and Jay Baruchel, Apatow was furious with their axing, and was plagued with anxiety. He would focus his attention on the big screen, which was it turns out, wasn't too bad an idea.

judd apatow directs the 40-year-old virgin

Before he would try his hand at directing, Judd Apatow familiarized himself with the ins and outs of big budget Hollywood filmmaking by producing two Will Ferrell vehicles -- the all-time classic Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and to a lesser extent, Kicking and Screaming. But it was on the set of Anchorman that Apatow noticed the talents of a then little-known actor named Steve Carell. Carell told Apatow about a sketch he used to do featuring a middle-aged man playing poker with his friends while concealing his virginity, and the two began writing; and just like that, The 40-Year-Old Virgin was born. The film introduced the mainstream public to Apatow's brand of comedy; blazon vulgarity laced with good intentions and heart. It was the sleeper hit of 2005. With a budget of only $26 million, The 40-Year-Old Virgin grossed $177 million domestically and made Steve Carell a star. However, it was one of the film's lesser known costars, an old Apatow regular, who would be the focus of Judd's next movie.

judd apatow directs knocked up

After the success of Virgin, Judd Apatow had what most directors crave: carte blanche. He began writing a comedy largely based on his own experiences, about a well-meaning stoner who deals with an unexpected pregnancy. The film was Knocked Up and featured the regular Apatow clan including Jason Segel, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, and Paul Rudd. It also introduced the idea of Seth Rogen -- another Apatow discovery -- as a leading man. Apatow made the film a family affair too, casting his real-life wife and kids in major roles. Much like Virgin, Knocked Up was financially successful and praised by critics. It was also met with accusations that the film was sexist, in particular by the film's star Katherine Heigl, who claimed that she was upset with the way the film portrayed women. Still, nothing could derail the Judd Apatow express, as everything he touched turned into box office gold. Before directing his third picture, Apatow executive produced Superbad, Pineapple Express, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Drillbit Taylor, Step Brothers, and Year One. How's that for a resume?

judd apatow directs funny people

Judd Apatow's third directorial effort dealt with a subject he knew all too well. Funny People, which he wrote alone, saw Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen play stand-up comedians who are forced to come to terms with reality when Sandler's character is diagnosed with cancer. Though the film featured Apatow's usual gang of misanthropes and was heavy on the humor, it was also far more dramatic than his previous films which left some audiences feeling disenchanted. It was also the first of Apatow's three directorial efforts that was not embraced by critics, and that did not cross the $100 million threshold at the box office. Hey, even Superman wasn't invincible. Up next, Apatow is producing the comedy Get Him To The Greek as well as an untitled Sherlock Holmes comedy featuring Sacha Baron Cohen as Holmes and Will Ferrell as Watson. Yeah, cause that's not going to be awesome.